I don't get hdnet but this has been available all month on hd on demand. I've been waiting for the 9.99 price to drop down to 7.99 cause I'm a cheap bastard.

Brian Lindsey

08-26-2010, 01:10 PM

DVR'd it for viewing this weekend.

Steve R

08-26-2010, 02:52 PM

I don't know what happened to Neil Marshall after doing such great work on The Descent.

Now don't get me wrong here, this one was fun and had a good look to it.
Lots of action. The close up sword battles and fights were considerably
better than the action in Doomsday, but still too many quick edits for my taste.
The CGI added blood was pretty terrible looking.

However this is a big step up from Son of Hercules. I was going to blame the script but he seems to write all his movies himself.
I think he just plain wants to make some fun kick ass B films. There is nothing at all here that aspires to the level of The Descent.
Yet on the other hand, he establishes the set up real quick, that a few very brave Romans are on the run cause one of them killed
the local warrior tribe's head guy's son and now they are being hunted. We've got the mute girl with the wild paint streaked hair
and mad tracking skills after them with a hunting party and the chase is on. I'm fine with that. There is enough broad stroke
characterization to keep things interesting and the pace is very strong. Gorgeous landscape. Perhaps a little too much
color desaturization here and there, but it's fine.

This is a nice B movie. It would have followed Dog Soldiers very easily. I had a good time with it.
Sure, I'd love to see Neil do something else on a par with Descent but if you let your guard down and just take it for what it is,
this'll do fine. And yeah it does flow from all those Romans, Greeks, sword and sandal things quite nicely.

VinceP

08-26-2010, 06:23 PM

Steve, seeing as how you have Plissken as your avatar, you didn't enjoy all the EFNY homage in Doomsday?

Steve R

08-26-2010, 07:56 PM

Vince,

I have such a knee jerk/ can't stand it reaction to that hyper editing style that was used in Doomsday that it ruined it for me. It just literaly ruins the action scenes for me. The idea of shooting fantastic car stunts, inventive fight choreography and then cutting them into a jumble of unrecognizable close-ups, taking out every second or third frame and pacing it so fast you can't tell what is going on...well it just pisses me the hell off. Takes me righ tout of the picture.

It is like they literally took the action out of the action movie.

But yeah, there was some good stuff in there I liked, but I have to turn by back on the film. I love action scenes, really appreciate great fight choreography. I really hope the current taste for that style of editing goes out of fashion soon.

I don't know whether it is the producer who insists that that is the way it should be done now, the editor or his own misguided idea. Bit of a soap box, sorry. I just love these kind of films and it's a crying shame :(

Steve

Loved Escape From New York though :D

VinceP

08-26-2010, 09:12 PM

I understand. I used to be that way myself. I remember it reached its peak for me when I saw Gladiator. I really liked the story, but the action scenes were cut too close and it pissed me off because I had noticed a trend starting that way. But now...I don't know if I just don't notice it anymore or if I have learned to decipher the editing and realize what is actually happening...either way, it doesn't really bother me anymore. At least, I didn't notice it on Doomsday. A shame it turned you off to the film. I had a lot of fun with it. I hope I'll be able to appreciate old school well-edited action scenes if I ever come across one again. :)

Jason Lee

08-29-2010, 08:55 AM

I too hated DOOMSDAY but thought he made a terrific little movie with DESCENT.....but it seems he is happy making this kind of movie...so good luck to him....

Just noticed that CENTURION is playing at a theater round the corner from my house..is it worth paying to see it on the big screen??

James Erickke

08-31-2010, 10:15 AM

Watched this last nite, loved it. Is this the first time the Picts have been depicted in a movie?